Happy trails in Draper with opening of tunnel

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County and Draper City get ready to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
A mountain biker makes his way down the trail in Little Valley as Salt Lake County anFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County and Draper City celebrate the opening of trails that connect thousanFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County and Draper City get ready to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
A mountain biker makes his way down the trail in Little Valley as Salt Lake County anFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, center left, looks out over Little Valley along

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County and Draper City get ready to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the new Little Valley Trail at Traverse Ridge on Monday, April 30, 2012, where Little Valley and Corner Canyon are now connected through a tunnel under Traverse Ridge Road.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
A mountain biker makes his way down the trail in Little Valley as Salt Lake County and Draper City get ready to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the new Little Valley Trail at Traverse Ridge on Monday, April 30, 2012. Little Valley and Corner Canyon are now connected through a tunnel under Traverse Ridge Road with 88 miles of trails accessible by bikers, hikers and runners with plans to expand the trail systems above Draper.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County and Draper City celebrate the opening of trails that connect thousands of acres in Corner Canyon and Little Valley through a tunnel under Traverse Ridge Road. The new parcel of land called "Ann's Trail", is named for Ann Parr, a champion of the trails above Draper, which currently has a network of 88 miles of trails with plans to build more.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County and Draper City get ready to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the new Little Valley Trail at Traverse Ridge on Monday, April 30, 2012, where Little Valley and Corner Canyon are now connected through a tunnel under Traverse Ridge Road.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
A mountain biker makes his way down the trail in Little Valley as Salt Lake County and Draper City get ready to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the new Little Valley Trail at Traverse Ridge on Monday, April 30, 2012. Little Valley and Corner Canyon are now connected through a tunnel under Traverse Ridge Road with 88 miles of trails accessible by bikers, hikers and runners with plans to expand the trail systems above Draper.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, center left, looks out over Little Valley alongside Draper City Mayor Darrell Smith with his wife, Launi, as they join other public and city and county officials who attended the ribbon-cutting on Monday, April 30, 2012, which officially connects thousands of acres in Corner Canyon and Traverse Ridge Open Space. The 88 miles of trails are now connected through a tunnel under Traverse Ridge road in Draper and there are plans for more trails to be built.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Draper • Ann Parr might not have been there in person, but her spirit permeated Monday's dedication of a tunnel unifying two prize pieces of open space in the Salt Lake Valley's southeastern foothills.

Speaker after speaker lauded the vision and perseverance of the trails enthusiast, equestrian and longtime Draper planning commissioner who, until sidelined recently by failing health, was instrumental in leading the drive for a trail system linking 633 acres in Little Valley with 1,000 in Corner Canyon.

"She's Mrs. Trail," said Draper Mayor Darrell Smith at a ribbon-cutting ceremony formally opening the tunnel beneath Traverse Ridge Road. Its construction  and the purchase of Little Valley's brush-covered slopes and spring-fed pond  was paid for with $2.75 million from the Open Space Trust Fund bond approved by county voters in 2006.

County Mayor Peter Corroon said it was money well spent, preserving prime parcels of countryside linked by trails that afford hikers, bikers and horseback riders stunning views of the valley.

"It's neat to look down on the [Draper LDS] temple," said Jenny Murdock, a friend and fan of Parr and a regular user of the trail system. Murdock especially recommended the view "at night when the temple lights are on and the valley lights are in the background."

After having helped shepherd the open-space program and this project through various regulatory processes, County Councilman Randy Horiuchi and former Councilwoman Jenny Wilson were beaming at the ceremony.

When the project received its final go-ahead, Horiuchi said, "I did an end-zone dance and spiked the [project's] file folder to the floor."

Upon seeing it done, Wilson said, "this is why I was in office … [providing] what city and county residents want. This is one project I'm proud of."

Draper residents for generations to come will be proud of it, predicted City Councilman William Rappleye, who claimed he was "educated by Ann Parr" in his 10 years as a city planning commissioner.

While initially skeptical that her vision of a trail system ever could come to pass, Rappleye said he has been won over. "It took a buy-in to see how important this is," he said, "making usable space and not just something to look at."

That has paid economic dividends for Draper, Rappleye added, the recreational opportunities flowing from these lands helping to entice companies such as eBay to do business in the city.

Besides buying the land, Salt Lake County has a conservation easement on the open space. Draper owns and manages the land.